Dog Day Afternoon

Official selection

LGBTQ+Crime/Violence

“This year marks the 50th anniversary of the film. It’s a story of truth, marginalized voices, tragedy, and a searing critique of the media. At the time, it couldn’t be seen in Korea—but it should have been. Above all, it’s Al Pacino.” — Journalist SOHN Suk-hee One of Sidney Lumet’s signature works of the 1970s, Dog Day Afternoon is based on a real bank robbery that took place in New York in 1972. When robbers Sonny (Al Pacino) and Sal (John Cazale) discover there is only $1,100 in the bank, they take the employees hostage and face off against the police. Lumet’s realistic, gripping direction and meticulous editing cement Al Pacino’s antihero persona, amplifying his performance—one of fervor, darkness, and the slow collapse into defeat. Dog Day Afternoon unfolds the turbulence of 1970s America—marked by the Vietnam War defeat, veterans’ struggles to readjust, the Watergate scandal, an aggressive media, and the era’s gay rights and feminist movements—within a confined space. It is also a record of Pacino’s blood, sweat, and tears, portraying a character who cannot be easily defined as an idealist, reckless criminal, romantic, or violent misfit.

Programme note by PARK Inho